Favorite Birthday Ever
by Oneturtledove
Summary: When you've got Danny Messer as your best friend, every birthday is the best one ever.


A/N:They are not mine, even the O/C. I stole that too. And there's nothing you can do to stop me! If you have been watching non-stop C-Span or living in a cave for 40 years, then you might not know that Austin Hawthorne is purely a creation of Piper Maru Duchovny, and all accolades for the character should be directed towards her. Also, all the birthday wishes, for today she is 19! Happy birthday Julesy! I love you Beef-ef.

* * *

Austin Hawthorne sat on the curb outside her house, the sun beating down on her dark three day old ponytail. She picked at an old scab on her knee, satisfied when it came off cleanly without bleeding. It was a small victory. Sighing, she looked up at the sky and blew another bubble with her now stale grape bubble gum. She could hear her parents inside, still arguing about whatever it had been that set her dad off in the first place. Even though she was seven whole years old, she still wasn't allowed to go past the front yard without her brother, so there she sat on the curb, her furthest escape. Her bare feet danced across the hot pavement to a rhythm that was only in her head and she scratched at a bug bite on her arm. She wished Andy was home because then at least she could tag along with him to the park or the store or something. But he was with a friend for the week, a vacation to the beach, leaving her all alone.

"Hey little brat."

She looked up at the voice, squinting into the sun to find Danny, her best friend and occasional worst enemy.

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to give you somethin' for your birthday," he said, plopping down on the curb beside her, but keeping the plastic bag just out of her reach.

"How'd you know it was my birthday?"

"I ain't stupid. 'Sides, Andy told me before he left."

"Oh."

Danny glanced back at her house, hearing the argument from inside.

"My mom said you can have dinner with us if your mom says okay. She made pie."

"Oh. Cool," Austin said, trying to remain aloof, no matter how much the though of someone making her pie made her want to jump up and down. "So what did you get me?"

He grinned and dug into the bag, pulling out a pack of Bubblicious.

"Hey thanks. Mine is getting gross."

He watched in amusement as she spit her old gum halfway across the street, then opened the new pack and bit the first piece in half, giving him the piece with less spit on it. He took it and handed her the next prize, a candy necklace. Neither of them ever ate the candy on it, but rather used the pieces as ammo in whatever childish game they happened to be playing.

"I couldn't remember which one was your favorite," he said, pulling an old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figure out of the bag. "I got you Michelangelo 'cuz he's the youngest and he's kind of crazy like you."

She grinned and took the toy, checking the movement of all the limbs before accepting it.

"And this is a tape of Elvis," he said standing up and giving her a patented Elvis move, complete with the lip. "The King."

She took the cassette tape from him, turning it over in her hands.

"But how'm I supposed to-"

He dropped a Walkman into her lap, the headphones dangling into the street.

"I stole it from Louie, so don't tell him you got one, okay?"

She just stared up at him, her jaw hanging low in wonderment. No one had ever gotten her presents like this before, and certainly no one had risked getting pounded into the pavement by their older brother just to make her happy.

"Thanks Danny," she said shyly, her eyes falling back down to the ground.

"Welcome. Wanna go to the store? I want some orange soda."

"Where'd you get all this money?"

"My grandparents were here last week, remember? Grandpa gave me and Louie twenty bucks."

"You're rich!" she squealed in delight.

"I know. Go ditch your stuff inside."

She put everything back into the bag and ran inside and into her bedroom, stuffing the bag under her bed behind some dirty clothes and her winter coat. She wasn't sure how her dad would react to her actually having something of value. She jumped up from the floor and looked down at her sandals, loathe to put them on, but knowing she had to if they were going to go in the store. Wrinkling her nose, she stuck her feet in them and headed back outside.

"Mom, I'm goin' with Danny!" she hollered.

"Okay, but be home by-"

The screen door slammed behind her, cutting off the rest of Katherine's instructions, and Austin hopped down the porch steps, joining Danny on the sidewalk.

"Wanna go to the park later? I bet they run the sprinklers this afternoon."

"Yeah!" she agreed, glad she was still in her bathing suit and cut offs that her mom had begged her to change out of this morning.

They walked down the street for a while before they reached the store, both sighing in relief at the air conditioning that greeted them at the entrance. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the candy aisle.

"Get whatever you want," he instructed, grabbing a few things for himself.

"But… you already got me a birthday present."

"This isn't a birthday present, it's just a friends thing. C'mon get some Skittles or somethin'."

"M'kay," she said, pulling one of the brightly colored packages off the rack. Soon they had their hands full of candy and their arms full of soda bottles.

"Looks like you guys are gonna have some fun today," the clerk said as she rang up their purchases.

"Yeah, it's Austin's birthday," Danny announced.

"Oh, happy birthday kid. Hey, why don't you guys go ahead and grab some hot dogs out of the warmer."

"Really?"

"Yeah, on me."

"Thanks Mary!"

They paid for their junk food and grabbed a hot dog each, putting a generous amount of ketchup on both before heading out the door.

"That was so cool."

"I'm gonna say it's your birthday more often," Danny said, taking a bite out of his hot dog. "Wanna go to the park now?"

"Sure."

They continued to walk until they came to the park which was mostly deserted. They dropped their bag of goodies under a tree and went straight for the jungle gym.

"Betcha can't hung upside down from the very top," Danny said, as Austin kicked off her shoes and stepped onto the first bar.

"Betcha I can."

"Can not. You're too short."

"You take that back Danny Messer!" she shouted, raising her fist.

"Fine then prove it!"

Glaring, she scaled the metal apparatus to the top, then carefully, her heart pounding in her chest, spun around so she was hanging upside down in the middle of the dome.

"See?"

"Now flip off it, chicken."

"I can't do that, there's not room," she scoffed, reaching up and readjusting so she was hanging by her arms. She swung slightly, apprehensive because she had never done this before. Scotty McGilly had though, and had come to school with a broken collarbone a few days later. She shook her head and swung a little more before letting go. The ground rose up to meet her and her head narrowly missed hitting a support bar. The air whooshed out of her lungs and she laid back against the bark chips, gasping for breath.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Just lookin' at the clouds," she answered, fighting the tears of pain that pricked the back of her eyes.

"What for?"

"Dunno."

Danny dropped down next to her, though not from the highest height of the jungle gym.

"Know what?"

"Huh."

"Sometime we should sneak out. You and me and Andy. And we could sleep under here like real live homeless people."

She raised her eyebrow at him and sat up, pulling a piece of bark out of her hair.

"Why would we do that?"

"Cuz we're not allowed to sneak out. C'mon, it'll be fun."

"How 'bout tonight then? After our parents all go to bed."

"Seriously?"

"Sure. They'll never know. And if they do, my daddy won't get any madder'n he already gets."

"What if he does?"

She shrugged.

"Are you in or not?"

"Fine, tonight. I'll bring you a sleeping bag."

She smiled, the thrill of being bad and grown up shooting through her like a jolt of sugar.

"Maybe I can sneak some cookies out of the house," she offered, climbing out of the jungle gym and walking over to where they had left their bag. She sat down and pulled a strawberry soda out, opening it and wiping her hand on her cut offs when it dribbled out a little. She chugged half of it, watching Danny out of the corner of her eye as he did the same. Pulling the bottle from her lips, she let out a belch that she could be proud of despite it being dainty compared to Danny's.

"You know what Austin?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not bad for a girl."

"Thanks."

"Or for a second grader."

"Are you still gonna act like you don't know me on the playground?"

"Well I do got a reputation," he said, pounding his chest. "I guess sometimes I could say hi. But you're not playin' baseball with us."

"Good. You cheat anyway."

"I do not!"

"Whatever."

"Hey."

"What?"

"Did your dad even get mad at you on your birthday?"

"Yeah," she shrugged.

"How come?"

"Because."

"But how come for real?"

"I dunno. He just gets mad."

"Did he hit you this time?"

"Nah, not today."

She dropped her eyes down to the ground, ashamed at herself to lying to Danny.

"He doesn't hit me all the time. Just when I'm being a brat."

Danny nodded, even though he knew it wasn't true. He'd seen Jack Hawthorne get mad before, and he always came after Austin, even if she had just been sitting there. Danny's own father had a temper, but he never raised a hand to his sons, and Danny could never really understand why Jack was so different.

"Hey come on, I'll spin you around in a swing," he offered, jumping up off the ground and holding his hand out for her.

"Only if I get to spin you around later."

He nodded and they spent the next half hour on the swings, twisting the chains around and around, then letting go and shrieking with dizzy laughter. She was just getting nauseous when the sprinklers came on. She jumped off the swing and dashed over to the grass, jumping through the cold spray. Danny followed her and they chased each other through the water, cartwheeling and tumbling until they were both dripping wet, covered with mud and grass. They rinsed off in the water and collapsed onto the warm concrete, breathing heavily.

"This is my favorite birthday ever," Austin noted, closing her eyes against the sun.

"Cool."

"You're my best friend, but don't tell anybody, 'kay?"

"Deal."


End file.
